This acronym of H.O.W. is the key to my sobriety.
Honesty (You can’t heal what you don’t reveal.)
Open-Mindedness (It’s not the drinking, it’s the thinking.)
Willingness (What you resist, persists.)
When I was drinking, I was sneaky, close-minded, and stubborn. Not good attributes for growth and change, right? At the end of my drinking, I just kept thinking, “I have to stop. I have to change something or this behavior is going to kill me.”
At 50 years old—when I finally surrendered to God and knew that I was unable to get sober on my own, I started to heal. I started to get honest and came out of the hiding and sneakiness. I became willing to do things differently—I finally became willing to change and to see that I could stay sober with the help of others and with God.
First three steps. “I can’t. He can. I think I’ll let Him.”
The most important thing was to be finally honest with myself. Having an honest perspective, I can see how my alcohol use affected others or caused negative situations in my life. Next, I need to be open-minded. If I am closed-minded to anything, I shut down growth, not allowing for any other solution to my problems than the one I currently had—drinking (which was not working, of course.) If I remain open-minded, I become teachable. Then, when I become willing, I am open to change. Pain is a motivator. When my behaviors cause more pain than pleasure, I am motivated to consider new options.
So, if you’re hurting and tired of living life a certain way, and you want to change, remember the acronym of H.O.W.
Be willing to go to any lengths for your recovery.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”
James 4:10
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